Inside the Phillies with MLB.com beat writer Todd Zolecki

Manuel: Giants Aren’t In Our Heads

This series certainly had a familiar feel to it.

The Phillies managed just two runs and 10 hits in two losses to the Giants this week. It was the first time the Phillies lost back-to-back games since losing four-straight games May 31-June 4 to Washington and Pittsburgh. It was the first series they lost since June 17-19 in Seattle.

And it happened against the team that beat them in last year’s NLCS.

“I think we can get ‘em, if you want to know the truth,” Charlie Manuel said. “I know we can get ‘em. It’s just a matter of us putting it together and for us to play the right way. And that’s pitch, hit and play good defense. Yeah, I think we can get ‘em. They’ve been playing us tough. They’ve got a good team. They’ve got good pitching. So do we. It’s just a matter of us outplaying them. Basically, the last two nights they took it to us.”

Manuel might have been trying to pump up his hitters when a reporter asked him how the Phillies can turn around things against a couple great pitchers like Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.

“You say they’re great pitchers,” Manuel said. “To me, I don’t know how great they are. I think as they move on into their careers, there’s the longevity part and things like that. I think that’s when the greatness might come by. This is a consistent game. When you say somebody is great … tonight I saw 90 fastball, 92 at the best. I saw a good changeup. I saw a breaking ball. I saw a cutter. Good pitching, but at the same time we can beat that. I’ve seen us do that.”

But they haven’t. And while it is just July, you just know Phillies fans watched these last two games and wondered what might happen if these teams meet again in the postseason. Because so far the Giants have found ways to win while the Phillies have not.

“They’re not in our heads,” Manuel said. “I don’t think so. Really, I don’t think so at all. It’s just the fact we’ve got to get after them.”

*

Paging Hunter Pence. You’ve got to think Ruben Amaro Jr.really wants a bat after watching his team struggle this week against the Giants, right?

To win a WS, the Phils need a righty bat … I am glad they did not sell the farm for Beltran, he was not worth it. Give me Hunter Pence, Conor Jackson, or Jeff Francoeur. In fact, Pence is not worth the farm either. Make a deal for a righty like Francoeur or Jackson or someone similar that can hit like .280 (with some pop) from the right and platoon such fella with Ibanez in LF.

Rich, it’s not as if you discovered the second coming or something. We all new that if Fransisco didn’t do the job, and even if he did, we’d probably need a RHB. HOwever, your choices of them are strange to say the least. Except for Pence, I wouldn’t give up a high school pick for anyone you mentioned. I know many think that Worley is Jesus himself, but he’s another Happ, KK, Bystrom etc. Move him now while he’s hot and get a great corner OF for him. Look at his stats besides ERA and wins,.

I don’t get the panic after a series where both Halladay and Lee missed their turns. Lincecum was pretty beatable last night but Utley couldn’t figure that changeup out.

As for a trade, what exactly does it add? If you estimate that a 7 game series against SF is 50/50 what does adding Pence do? Make it 55% in our favor? Ludwick and most others maybe adds 1%? On top of that the braves have a coinflip in a 5 game series to knock them out for us and were already slightly favored I’d say against Atl. So let the chips fall how they may in Oct. Any moves aren’t gonna increase the odds much. It’s a lock to make the crapshoot playoffs.

Phan, nohing wrong with his stats, same as with Happs stats last year, KK’s stats in ’08 and bystom in ’85. I figure he too will be a has been by year 2. His fl;y ball to hr ration is amazing and won’t keep up as is luck. Pure case of rookie sensation and sophomore flop. Trade while he has worth

Francoeur batting against lefties: .316 is silly?
Jackson batting against lefties: .292 is silly?
Pence batting against lefties: .278 is … oh, just about avg, right?

Next time, come back to me with numbers.

Philly needs a guy that can hit LEFTIES!!!!

Anyone that has watched the Phillies for awhile knows that good southpaws shut them down.

I certainly love Pence if we win the WS, not hating the move at all, just don’t go hating my logic because you didn’t realize the value.

But if Philly gets shut down against good lefty pitching again, don’t come hating to me.

Example: if Philly can’t score a damn run by inning 7, opposing mangers are gonna roll out lefty after lefty to stifle philly. (howard has 0 HRs against lefties and Utley has 2 HRs and Ibanez has 4 HRs and being these guys play at CBP, these HRs are suspect … we don’t really think lefty HRs will come in SF right?)

And we all know Philly is a HR team, not a small-ball-move-the-runners-over team … right?

Rich, I suggest you wake up and realize this is 2011 and not 2008. we live and die with our pitching. The question isn’t if we’ve scored a run, but if nwe’ve given up a run. Obviously we need to have guys crossing the plate, but the fact that Pence is an RBI guy is fine for this lineup. With all our regulars back, Mayberry on the Bench (RHB) I’m not too worried. Not to mention that the Giants don’t really have a left handed rotation to throw at us and we all know that they are they only threat we have between us and another WS

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